Cancer

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what the mortality rate from cancer has been in (a) Pendle constituency, (b) East Lancashire and (c) the North West in each of the last 15 years;
	(2)  how many men in (a) Pendle constituency and (b) Lancashire died from advanced prostate cancer in 2012.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated June 2014
	On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office:
	1. How many men in (a) Pendle constituency and (b) Lancashire died from advanced prostate cancer in 2012 (199653)
	2. What the mortality rate from cancer has been in (a) Pendle constituency, (b) East Lancashire and (c) the North West in each of the last 15 years (199660)
	The most recent figures available are for 2012. Table 1 provides the number of deaths where prostate cancer was the underlying cause of death for males in 1(a) Pendle parliamentary constituency and 1(b) Lancashire county, for deaths registered in 2012.
	Table 2 provides the age-standardised mortality rate where cancer was the underlying cause of death for 2(a) Pendle parliamentary constituency, 2(b) East Lancashire clinical commissioning group and 2(c) the North West region from 1998 to 2012, where available. Rates are not presented for Pendle before 2001 and for East Lancashire before 2002 because the corresponding population estimates are not available.
	The number of deaths registered in England and Wales each year by sex, age and underlying cause, are published annually on the ONS website at:
	www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/all-releases.html?definition=tcm%3A77-27475
	
		
			 Table 1. Number of deaths where the underlying cause was prostate cancer, males in Pendle parliamentary constituency and Lancashire county, deaths registered in 20121,2,3 
			 Area of usual residence 2012 
			 Pendle 14 
			 Lancashire 203 
			 1 Underlying cause of death was defined using the international Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code C61 (Malignant neoplasm of prostate). It has been assumed that where prostate cancer was judged to be the underlying cause of death, it can be considered 'advanced'. 2 Figures are based on boundaries correct as at May 2014 and exclude non-residents. 3 Figures are based on deaths registered rather than deaths occurring in a calendar year. Further information on registration delays for a range of causes including prostate cancer can be found on the ONS website: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/user-guidance/health-and-life-events/impact-of-registration-delays-on-mortality-statistics/index.html 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Age-standardised mortality rates where cancer was the underlying cause of death, Pendle parliamentary constituency, East Lancashire clinical commissioning group and North West region, deaths registered each year from 1998 to 20121,2,3,4,5 
			 Rates per 100,000 (Population) 
			 Registration year Pendle East Lancashire North West 
			 1998 n/a n/a 209.5 
			 1999 n/a n/a 210.3 
			 2000 n/a n/a 205.4 
			 2001 196.7 n/a 207.3 
			 2002 178.7 200.4 204.8 
			 2003 172.0 189.0 197.1 
			 2004 176.0 186.3 195.4 
			 2005 177.9 178.5 197.3 
			 2006 186.2 173.7 191.6 
			 2007 177.6 179.7 190.8 
			 2008 178.9 180.8 188.4 
			 2009 178.1 195.6 184.1 
			 2010 159.9 182.6 185.5 
			 2011 179.2 182.7 180.6 
			 2012 160.8 176.6 178.1 
			 n/a = Not available. 1 Age-standardised rates per 100,000 population, standardised to the 1976 European Standard Population (ESP). Age-standardised rates are used to allow comparison between populations which may contain different proportions of people of different ages. For more information on ESP, see the ONS website: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/user-guidance/health-and-life-events/revised-european-standard-population-2013--2013-esp-/index.html 2 Underlying cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes C00 to C97 for the period 2001 to 2012, and International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes 140 to 208 for the period 1998 to 2000 3 Figures are based on deaths registered, rather than deaths occurring in the years 1998 to 2012. Further information on registration delays for a range of causes can be found on the ONS website: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/user-guidance/health-and-life-events/impact-of-registration-delays-on-mortality-statistics/index.html 4 Figures exclude deaths of non-residents 5 Figures are based on boundaries as of May 2014.

Civil Servants: Absenteeism

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many days of employee absence there were in each Government Department in each of the last 10 years.

Francis Maude: It is for individual Departments to provide detailed information on absence for each of the last 10 years.
	This Government is working to reduce civil service absence levels and we know that the average days lost per employee has fallen from 8.7 in June 2010 to 7.4 in December 2013. Average working days lost per staff year are now at their lowest reported figure since 1999, while the total number of days lost in the civil service is at its lowest recorded level.
	The figures for the Cabinet Office are:
	
		
			  Days 
			 December 2003 3.5 
			 December 2004 3.0 
			 December 2005 4.2 
		
	
	
		
			 2005-06 4.1 
			 2006-07 3.3 
			 2007-08 4.8 
			 2008-09 4.8 
			 2009-10 3.6 
			 2010-11 4.0 
			 2011-12 3.7 
			 2012-13 2.7 
			 Year to December 2013 2.5 
		
	
	and can be found online here at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-absence-data

Public Sector: Complaints

Robert Buckland: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the ease of use for the public of the complaints systems across public services; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of levels of public confidence in complaints systems across public services;
	(3)  how many complaints were received by each ombudsman service in England in each of the last five years;
	(4)  if he will assess the potential merits of introducing an automatic trigger for inspections of individual public services when a certain number of people using that service have made complaints about it;
	(5)  if he will assess the potential merits of allowing designated bodies to be given the power to make super-complaints against public service providers such as those that exist in private markets;
	(6)  what assessment he has made of the benefits of future mergers of public service ombudsman services in England.

Francis Maude: The Government is considering recent reports of the Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) into how complaints about public services are handled. As part of this, the Cabinet Office is working to investigate further how public services can make best use of complaints and also to take a wider look at the role and powers of the Public Sector Ombudsmen. The Government will respond to the PASC in due course. I am happy to discuss this matter further with my hon. Friend.
	The annual reports and accounts of the public service ombudsmen in the UK provide details of their performance over the past 12 months including information about complaints received.

Biodiversity

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much (a) his Department and (b) the Joint Nature Conservation Committee spent on biodiversity research in (i) the UK and (ii) the Overseas Territories in each of the last four years.

Dan Rogerson: We are collating the information requested and will place it in the House Library as soon as possible.

Biodiversity

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on biodiversity conservation in (a) the UK and (b) the Overseas Territories in 2013-14.

Dan Rogerson: We are collating the information requested and will place it in the House Library as soon as possible.

Floods: Insurance

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria will be used to determine whether a property owner is eligible to access building insurance policies within Flood Re.

Dan Rogerson: The criteria that the insurance industry will use to determine if a property is eligible for cover through Flood Re was set out in the information note published in March. It can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/292353/water-bill-flood-insurance-scope-flood-re.pdf

Sewers: Urban Areas

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Government expects to implement all the measures contained in Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act regarding sustainable urban drainage systems in this Parliament.

Dan Rogerson: The Government remains committed to implementing sustainable drainage systems at the earliest available opportunity, but not in a way that affects development. A statement, which will set out our plans in greater detail, will be made in the summer. It has become clear that, as previously hoped for, we will not be commencing schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act in October 2014.

Internet

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his policy is on allowing internet service providers to restructure charging arrangements for faster network access.

Edward Vaizey: The Government supports an open internet, and believes that self-regulation is the best approach to achieve this. We expect ISPs to be transparent with their customers regarding their terms and conditions at the point of sale, including any traffic management practices, in order to allow consumers to make an informed choice and consider any alternative providers.

Social Rented Housing

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many tenants in Scotland arranged mutually exchanges to elsewhere in the UK through Home Swap Direct in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

David Mundell: Details of the number of moves that have taken place under the HomeSwap Direct Scheme from Scotland to elsewhere in the United Kingdom in each of the last three years are not held centrally. This information is more likely to be held by social housing providers.

Sovereignty

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent steps the Government has taken to persuade the Scottish people that they would have a better future within the UK.

David Mundell: In order to inform and support the debate on Scotland’s future, the UK Government has undertaken a detailed programme of analysis on the contribution that Scotland makes to the UK and benefits Scotland gets from being part of the United Kingdom. The Scotland analysis programme has published 14 papers on economic, domestic and international issues. The series is available online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/scotland-analysis
	The Government is also publishing a range of easily accessible factsheets and booklets which are being widely disseminated to stakeholders in Scotland. These are available online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/scottish-independence-referendum-factsheets
	and
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/scottish-independence-referendum-scotland-in-the-uk
	Government Ministers are also participating in a wide range of meetings, visits and events with communities right across Scotland.

Equality

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities if he will make it his policy that the Government adopt when designing domestic policy the same gender equality provisions as contained in the International (Gender Equality) Act 2014 for development assistance provision.

Helen Grant: Public bodies in England, Scotland and Wales are subject to the s149 of the Equality Act 2010 (Public Sector Equality Duty), which requires them to have due regard to the need to advance equality of opportunity between different groups, for example between men and women in carrying out their functions including policy development.

Sexualisation of Young People Review

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the review Sexualisation of Young People by Dr. Linda Papadopoulos.

Edward Timpson: In December 2010 the Government commissioned Reg Bailey, the chief executive of Mothers' Union, to carry out a review of the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood. Mr Bailey drew upon the review by Dr Papadopoulos and its evidence base in making his recommendations in his report, 'Letting Children be Children', published in June 2011. The Government welcomed Mr Bailey's analysis and the thrust of all the recommendations he made, and there has been progress on many of these.

Swimming: Children

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to improve access to swimming lessons for schoolchildren.

Edward Timpson: Swimming is part of the national curriculum, and all pupils must be taught to swim at least 25 metres unaided and be able to use recognised swimming strokes by the end of key stage 2 (age 11). It remains compulsory in the national curriculum following the curriculum review.
	The Government has committed over £450 million of ring-fenced funding up to and including 2015/16 for primary schools to improve their provision of physical education and sport. Schools have the freedom to use the funding for additional provision for swimming but this must be for activity over and above the national curriculum requirements.
	The Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) is the national governing body for swimming in England. Their ‘Learn to Swim’ programme and award scheme has helped millions of children to swim and they provide a range of resources for schools to support high quality swimming instruction.

Homelessness

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what change there was in the number of homelessness acceptances arising from the end of a private sector tenancy in (a) Bury St Edmunds, (b) Suffolk and (c) England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Kris Hopkins: To assist public scrutiny, a table showing homelessness acceptances due to loss of private sector tenancy, by local authority, in each year from 2003 to 2013 is available in the Library of the House,
	Data are not collected by parliamentary constituency.
	The dataset shows that under the last Administration, the average numbers were higher than under this Administration, especially when taking into account the changes in the overall size of the private rented sector.
	I would note that the rental sector policies of HM Opposition would make the problem worse, by reducing availability of private rented accommodation, forcing up rents and discouraging investment in the private rented sector. By contrast, this Government is increasing house building, delivering £19.5 billion of investment in affordable housing, supporting billions of private investment in new private rented accommodation, providing £470 million to prevent and tackle all forms of homelessness, and avoiding the excessive regulation which would harm the interests of tenants.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average price has been for houses sold under (a) the Help to Buy: Mortgage Guarantee and (b) the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme in (i) the North West, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) Pendle.

Kris Hopkins: The information is as follows:
	(a) Data on the Help to Buy: Mortgage Guarantee scheme are published by the Treasury. Figures to 31 March 2014 are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/help-to-buy-mortgage-guarantee-scheme-quarterly-statistics-october-2013-to-march-2014
	(b) For the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme, figures for the average purchase price of properties are available at district council level, with the most recent official statistics relating to sales under the scheme to 30 April 2014.
	(i) As outlined in the written ministerial statement of 18 September 2012, Official Report, column 32WS, my Department no longer publishes statistics by government office region
	(ii) The average figure for that period across the twelve district council areas of Lancashire is £176,888. The figure for Lancashire can be compared with a national average of £205,424, as published at
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/help-to-buy-equity-loan-scheme-monthly-statistics
	(iii) In Pendle, only one sale had been completed by 30 April 2014, and so quoting the average figure for that area would lead to disclosure of the purchase price of that property. This might be regarded as creating an unacceptably high risk of disclosing personal data and a statistical distortion.
	Figures for the numbers of sales under the Help to Buy equity loan scheme as at 30 April 2014 broken down by local authority and postcode sector are available at
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/help-to-buy-equity-loan-scheme-monthly-statistics
	I have also placed a copy of the table in the Library of the House.

Bank Services

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Payments System Regulator on its market study into the ownership of payments systems by the largest banks.

Andrea Leadsom: At Budget 2014, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), announced that the competition powers of the payment systems regulator would be switched on with immediate effect. This enables the regulator to conduct a market study on ownership of the payment systems and, depending on the outcome, to refer the question of ownership to the Competition and Markets Authority. The decision about whether to commence a market study is one for the regulator.

Credit Unions

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many people were members of a credit union in each (a) region of England and (b) each borough of London in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13 and (iii) 2013-14; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of (a) the number of members of credit unions and (b) their total savings in each (i) region of the UK and (ii) London borough in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12, (C) 2012-13 and (D) 2013-14; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of total lending by (a) credit unions and (b) community development finance institutions in each (i) region of England and (ii) London borough in (A) 2011-12, (B) 2012-13 and (C) 2013-14; and if he will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government do not hold information on the numbers of credit union members or their total savings or lending by region. The data is held by the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority.

Financial Services: Social Networking

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had on the development of guidance on the use of social media for promotion of financial services.

Andrea Leadsom: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is responsible for conduct supervision of regulated financial firms, including their responsible promotion of products and services.
	In 2010 the then Financial Services Authority issued some high-level guidelines on use of ‘new media’—including social media-for such promotions. Since April 2013 the FCA has been engaging with industry, looking further at how social media interacts with FCA rules, and has committed to issue further guidelines later this summer.

Mortgages

Jim Shannon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people having difficulty making mortgage repayments have requested help from the Financial Ombudsman Service in each of the last three years.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government do not collect data on the number of cases referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The FOS routinely collects and publishes statistics about the complaints referred to them, which they make publicly available on their website.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Roger Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will extend the Help to Buy Scheme to housing built with local affordable conditions attached.

Andrea Leadsom: The Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme offers lenders the option to purchase a guarantee on mortgages where the borrower has a deposit of between 5% and 20% of the value of the property. A mortgage supported by the mortgage guarantee scheme works in exactly the same way as any other mortgage, but has to comply with the requirements set out in the scheme rules. In particular, the scheme rules exclude the use of the mortgage guarantee alongside other Government schemes or shared ownership schemes.
	The Help to Buy: equity loan scheme is managed by the Department for Communities and Local Government and is available to all those who aspire to own a new build home, but struggle to access or afford the repayments on a low deposit mortgage. The scheme is open to first time buyers and to those looking to move up the housing ladder.
	While the Government keeps all schemes, including Help to Buy, under review, the Government currently has no plans to extend the Help to Buy scheme.
	Further information about both parts of the Help to Buy scheme can be found at:
	http://www.helptobuy.org.uk/home

Mortgages: North West

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) Help to Buy Mortgage Guarantees and (b) Help to Buy: Equity Loans have been taken out in (i) the North West, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) Pendle to date.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government publishes quarterly official statistics relating to the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme. The first of these were published on 29 May 2014.
	This report, along with accompanying tables, can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/help-to-buy-mortgage-guarantee-scheme-quarterly-statistics-october-2013-to-march-2014
	The Government also publishes monthly statistics on the number of homes purchased with the support of the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme, by local authority in England. This data can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/help-to-buy-equity-loan-scheme-monthly-statistics

Mortgages: West Midlands

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many homes in (a) the West Midlands and (b) Birmingham have been bought under the Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme to date.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government publishes quarterly official statistics relating to the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme. The first of these were published on 29 May 2014.
	This report, along with accompanying tables, can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/help-to-buy-mortgage-guarantee-scheme-quarterly-statistics-october-2013-to-march-2014

Venture Capital

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will commission an assessment of the amount of investment in small and medium-sized enterprises from peer-to-peer lending and crowdfunding platforms.

Andrea Leadsom: Crowdfunding and peer to peer lending are innovative new forms of finance that support competition in the business lending sector. The Government has taken a number of steps to support their growth.
	The Government has no current plans to commission an assessment of the amount of investment in small and medium-sized enterprises from peer to peer lending and crowdfunding platforms.

Human Trafficking

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of victims of human trafficking through the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: In 2013 the UK National Referral Mechanism (NRM) received 1,746 referrals of potential victims of trafficking. However, trafficking is a covert crime and victims are often hidden, making it difficult to establish the true scale of the issue.
	The National Crime Agency’s UK Human Trafficking Centre publishes an annual assessment of the number of victims of human trafficking. The most recent assessment was published in August 2013 and can be found on the NCA website:
	www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk
	The Government is determined to lead the global fight against human trafficking (including modern slavery), and has introduced the Modern Slavery Bill. The Bill will give law enforcement the tools to stamp out modern slavery, and enhance protection for victims. To complement the Bill, the Government is also ramping up non-legislative action to tackle this abhorrent crime.

Knives: Crime

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what Government funding has been provided for tackling teenage knife crime in each year since publication of the Kinsella Review in February 2011.

Norman Baker: On 2 February 2011, Official Report, column 46WS, the Home Secretary announced £18 million funding to tackle knife, gun and gang crime. The funding was given to police, local agencies and the voluntary sector to tackle serious youth violence and prevent young people entering a cycle of crime. This funding addressed issues of gang and youth violence including knife crime.
	The two year funding supported enforcement and prevention work by police in three knife crime hotspot areas, alongside positive activities for young people and local work to bring about long-term changes in attitudes and behaviours. The money included up to:
	£3.75 million (£2 million in 2011-12 and £1.75 million in 2012-13) for the three police forces areas where more than half of the country’s knife crime occurs—the Metropolitan Police Service, Greater Manchester, and the West Midlands.
	£4 million (£2 million in 2011-12 and £1.75 million in 2012-13 ) for a ‘communities against gangs, guns and knives’ fund—for local voluntary organisations across England and Wales working with young people to stop involvement in knife and gang violence.
	£10 million for prevention and diversionary activities and engagement with young people at risk of becoming involved in crime, including knife related violence
	£1million to support the development of anti-knife, gun and gang crime materials for schools and a good practice website to enable local projects to share knowledge and expertise. About 280 practitioners are now sharing information through the Knowledge Hub set up in the Local Government Association website.
	£250,000 for 2011-12 of the Ben Kinsella Fund (in addition to the £250,000 provided for 2010-11) for young people to run anti-knife crime projects in their local area.

Police

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of working time police officers in each police force spent on frontline policing duties in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: The Home Office does not hold this information centrally.
	The Home Office does however collect police officer functions data which is used by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary to calculate the number of operational frontline police officers in each police force area. These figures (and information on visible police officers) are published from 2010 onwards as part of the ‘Valuing the Police’ inspection programme, which can be found at:
	http://www.hmic.gov.uk/data/valuing-the-police-data/
	These figures relate to each officers predominant function over the year, rather than the proportion of their working time.

Energy: Business

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will list the energy companies which have agreed to (a) introduce arrangements before the end of 2014 to limit bad bills to businesses to one year where the supplier is at fault and (b) end automatic roll-overs for new customers.

Michael Fallon: British Gas, Edf Energy, E.ON, First Utility, Good Energy, Opus Energy, RWE nPower, Scottish Power and SSE publically announced that they plan to limit back bills where the company is at fault to one year by the end of 2013, or as soon as practically possible in 2014.
	British Gas, Edf Energy, E,ON, First Utility, RWE nPower, Scottish Power and SSE announced their intention to end the use of automatic rollover contracts for new customers before the end of 2014.

Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 10 April 2013, Official Report, column 1119W, on energy prices, what estimate his Department has made of the (a) wholesale and (b) retail cost of (i) electricity and (ii) gas in 2013.

Gregory Barker: The average GB wholesale electricity price in 2013 was 4.98 pence/kWh1. For gas, it was 2.32 pence/kWh2.
	These prices do not necessarily reflect the costs faced by energy suppliers, who typically buy their energy over a period of time using forward contracts—a practice known as hedging. The particular hedging strategies employed by different suppliers are commercially confidential and not known to Government.
	1 Source: data received by DECC from commercial price reporting companies.
	2 Ibid

Energy: Prices

Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans his Department has to provide assistance to people with cold-related health conditions who are struggling to pay their heating bills.

Gregory Barker: The evidence is clear that living in cold homes can have a substantial range of negative health impacts. We have a strong package of policies already delivering assistance to those in need.
	These include:
	the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) which funds efficient boilers and insulation measures to low income and vulnerable households and is now guaranteed until at least 2017;
	the Warm Home Discount scheme, which gave over 1.2 million of the lowest income pensioners £135 off their electricity bills in winter 2013-14, and supported more than 2 million households in total;
	Winter Fuel and Cold Weather payments which provide support to pensioners and vulnerable low income groups; and
	the Big Energy Saving Network which is providing outreach to consumers, helping them understand tariffs and switching options as well as how they could benefit from energy efficiency programmes available to them.
	In July 2013 DECC published the document Fuel Poverty: a framework for future action, this stated Government's intention to continue to prioritise 'vulnerable' fuel poor households (ie those containing an elderly person, a child or someone who is long term sick or disabled) within fuel poverty policies.
	We have been discussing links between fuel poverty and health with colleagues in the Department of Health, and Public Health England, at all levels, including ministerial, as part of our preparation for a new fuel poverty strategy.

Fuel Poverty

Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on support for people in fuel poverty who suffer from cold-related health conditions.

Gregory Barker: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, my right hon. Friend the Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), met the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt) in February 2014, specifically to discuss how DECC and the Department of Health can work together to tackle fuel poverty, building on previous collaboration.

Access to Work Programme

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will amend the access to work scheme to enable deaf people to employ a full-time salaried support worker.

Michael Penning: The Access to Work programme currently allows for support to be organised in this way if it offers the most cost-effective and practical solution and there is clear customer need for that level of support. We are taking a close look at the Access to Work programme over the next three months, focusing on how we can assist the largest number of disabled people in work. We will include in that process a consideration of how best to address the needs of customers requiring support for a large number of hours each week on an ongoing basis.

Access to Work Programme

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK have received support through the Access to Work scheme in each of the last three years.

Michael Penning: Please see figures for the last full three financial years for which data is available.
	
		
			  Numbers helped by Access to Work support in Scotland: 
			 2010/11 2,800 
			 2011/12 2,510 
			 2012/13 2,500 
		
	
	
		
			  Numbers helped by Access to Work support in Great Britain: 
			 2010/11 35,820 
			 2011/12 30,780 
			 2012/13 31,500

Access to Work Programme

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what funding has been provided to disabled people in Scotland and the UK through the Access to Work scheme in each of the last three years.

Michael Penning: Please see figures for the last full three financial years for which data is available.
	
		
			 Access to Work programme spend in Scotland 
			  £ million 
			 2010/11 6.5 
			 2011/12 6.0 
			 2012/13 5.9 
		
	
	
		
			 Access to Work programme spend in Great Britain: 
			  £ million 
			 2010/11 105.5 
			 2011/12 98.3 
			 2012/13 99.0

Employment and Support Allowance

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Rutherglen and Hamilton West of 21 March 2012, Official Report, column 705W on Atos Healthcare, on how many occasions a Jobcentre Plus decision-maker did not follow the advice of an Atos-approved healthcare professional when making a decision on the eligibility for employment and support allowance in each month since May 2010.

Michael Penning: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 The number of occasions where the JCP decision maker’s final decision was different to the advice given by the Atos healthcare professional—May 2010 to June 2013 
			 Month/year JCP decision differs from Atos recommendation 
			 2010  
			 May 900 
			 June 900 
			 July 1,100 
			 August 1,200 
			 September 1,200 
			 October 1,900 
			 November 2,600 
			 December 2,300 
			 2011:  
			 January 2,700 
			 February 3,100 
			 March 3,700 
			 April 2,800 
			 May 3,100 
			 June 2,800 
			 July 2,100 
			 August 1,900 
			 September 1,600 
			 October 1,400 
			 November 1,500 
			 December 1,200 
			 2012:  
			 January 1,800 
			 February 2,300 
			 March 2,700 
			 April 2,300 
			 May 2,600 
			 June 2,700 
			 July 3,200 
			 August 3,200 
			 September 3,800 
			 October 4,600 
			 November 4,700 
			 December 3,700 
			 2013:  
			 January 4,800 
			 February 4,400 
			 March 4,000 
			 April 4,100 
			 May 4,900 
		
	
	
		
			 June 5,300 
			 Notes: 1. These figures do not include work capability assessments completed on incapacity benefit (IB) reassessment claims. 2. The table includes initial assessments only and the figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. Sources: DWP’s benefit administration datasets covering new claims (starting from 27 October 2008); Atos Healthcare’s face to face assessment, ESA85 data and limited capability for work questionnaire, ESA50 data; and HMCTS’s appeals caseload data.

Vacancies: Internet

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of vacancies on Universal Jobsmatch classified as employer confidential; and what checks are in place to ensure that such vacancies are not bogus, fraudulent or otherwise inappropriate.

Esther McVey: Universal Jobmatch revolutionises the way jobseekers look for work and it has already helped many jobseekers find the jobs they want through the millions of vacancies posted since 2012. It is part of the Government’s plan for providing easy online access to government services for all.
	There are various circumstances where an employer may wish to keep their details confidential—for example, if they are employing a personal carer or another role where they are using their home address. We estimate that there are 42,544 employer confidential vacancies currently on Universal Jobmatch. This equates to 7.1% of the total live vacancies as at 5 June 2014.
	The security of a user's data is of the utmost importance to us and built into the service are monitoring tools and vacancy checks, which help to detect, deter and remedy inappropriate use of the site. Checks are made to identify inappropriate, fraudulent and bogus jobs and employers in order to block them from being posted.
	There are also warnings to users of the service advising them they should not be asked to reveal personal information i.e. bank details, as this information is not relevant to the application process.
	Additionally, a 'Contact Us' facility is provided so users can quickly highlight any employers that users may have concerns about. DWP then investigate such concerns.
	These checks are in place for all vacancies, including employer confidential vacancies.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  on what date and which Minister signed off the decision to give permission to the Chilcot Inquiry to disclose quotations or gists of the content of notes from Tony Blair or records of discussions between the UK Prime Minister and the President of the United States; when detailed consideration of the gists and quotations requested by the Inquiry began; how many (a) gists and (b) quotations of Tony Blair are under consideration; whether the publication of any gists or quotations has yet been agreed; and which Minister will approve the decisions on which gists or quotations can be published;
	(2)  with reference to the letter of 28 May 2014 from Sir John Chilcot to the Cabinet Secretary, which Government Minister agreed, and on what date, that there was no prospect of reaching agreement that Notes or records of discussions between the UK Prime Minister and the President of the United States should be disclosed in their entirety or with redactions.

David Cameron: The Inquiry is completely independent of Government and should be allowed to complete its work without interference.
	At the outset of the Inquiry, Government and the Inquiry agreed a documents protocol on the handling of information provided to the Inquiry. The protocol names the Cabinet Secretary as final arbiter in discussions about disclosure. He is the right person to perform this role. He is the most senior civil servant and can see papers of a previous Government Sir John Chilcot’s letter of 28 May describes the background against which the Inquiry made its requests for gists and quotes. Sir John also makes clear that the gists and quotes are sufficient for the Inquiry’s purposes.
	Sir John Chilcot’s letter of 28 May is available on the Iraq Inquiry website and I am placing a copy in the Library of the House.
	The Government will not comment further on the extent or detail of the Inquiry’s declassification requests. I have made clear my hope that the Inquiry will be able to complete its work by the end of the year.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

David Amess: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what recent representations (a) he, (b) other Ministers and (c) officials of (i) 10 Downing Street and (ii) the Cabinet Office have made to the (A) Chairman and (B) secretariat of the Chilcot Inquiry on delays in publication of its report due to responses from officials of the US administration; what response was received to these representations; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many documents provided by the Government to the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war have been declassified; how many such documents he estimates will be declassified within the next six months; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what discussions he has had with the (a) Chairman and (b) Secretary of the Chilcot Inquiry on the publication of its report since March 2013; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  when he expects the report of the Chilcot Inquiry into the war in Iraq to be published; what discussions Sir John Chilcot has had with those expected to be criticised in his report; if he will ensure that hon. Members are provided with a full paper copy of the report and all (a) oral and (b) written evidence that was presented to the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  if he will seek the agreement of the US President to the publication of classified documents by the Chilcot Inquiry; and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  if he will discuss with the administrators of the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war a final date for publication; and if he will make a statement;
	(7)  what recent discussions he has had with the US President on the publication by the Chilcot Inquiry of conversations between (a) Tony Blair and George W. Bush and (b) the right hon. Member for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath and George W. Bush in the period (i) leading up to the conflict in Iraq and (ii) after the invasion of Iraq; what response was received from the President; and if he will make a statement;
	(8)  if it remains his policy to publish the report of the Chilcot Inquiry in full; and if he will make a statement.

David Cameron: The Iraq inquiry is independent of government, and should be allowed to complete its work without interference.
	Neither I nor Ministers have had any discussions with or made any representations to the inquiry. Nor have I discussed the inquiry with President Obama.
	The inquiry has sought the declassification of material for inclusion in its report from many thousands of documents, some of which have been or will be published. Government does not, as a rule, comment on any discussions between officials and the inquiry.
	The Maxwellisation process is a matter for the inquiry.
	The Government remains committed to ensuring that the inquiry’s final report will be able to disclose all but the most sensitive information which will be determined in accordance with the protocol governing the disclosure of documentary evidence which is available through the inquiry website.
	Timing of the delivery of the report to me is a matter for the inquiry, but it is my hope that the inquiry can complete its work before the end of the year. Upon publication, copies of the report will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the use in Northern Ireland of prize draws to increase voter registration.

Greg Clark: No direct assessment has been made by the Cabinet Office of the use of prize draws to improve electoral registration in Northern Ireland. However, we have learnt from the experience of Northern Ireland and used it to inform the development of Individual Electoral Registration (IER) in Great Britain. Unlike the transition to IER in Northern Ireland in 2002, in Great Britain data matching is being used to confirm the majority of current electors on the existing register without them having to make a new application. The Government has also provided £4.2 million funding which has been shared between five national organisations and all 363 local authorities in order to promote voter registration, particularly amongst under-registered groups.

Unemployment: Young People

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress the Cabinet Secretary's review into the provision of assistance for unemployed young people has made.

Nicholas Clegg: The Government has announced a number of policies that have been informed by the review's findings, including two pilots for 18 to 21-year-olds claiming jobseeker's allowance aimed at improving basic skills in Maths and English for those without level 2 from the beginning of their claim and ensuring people receive work or skills base activity best suited to their needs after six months. We will also be piloting, for the first time, extending Job Centre Plus advisor support to 16 and 17-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) and not in receipt of an out of work benefit. The Government has also introduced new statutory guidance for schools on careers guidance, and announced the creation of an online portal for post-16 education and training opportunities.

Afghanistan

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will publish a list of all consultancy groups and sub-contractors used by her Department on the Bost Agri-Business and Airfield projects in Afghanistan.

Justine Greening: The Bost industrial business park proposal was originally approved by officials in 2009 at a time when Ministers did not approve spend under £40 million. In 2012 it became clear that the project could no longer be completed within the original timeframe and in good order. To avoid wasting taxpayers' money I decided that UK funding for the project should be cancelled. The completed park designs have been handed over to the Afghan authorities to enable them to pursue the project over a revised time frame. DFID's work on Bost airfield was completed in November 2013.
	The following consultancy groups were paid directly by DFID on the Bost Airfield and Business Park programme:
	Coffey International;
	Crown Agents; and
	Mott Macdonald.

Afghanistan

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what official agreements were made between her Department and the Afghan Investment Support Agency for any work relating to the (a) Bost Agri Industrial Park and (b) Bost Airfield.

Justine Greening: The Bost industrial business park proposal was originally approved by officials in 2009 at a time when Ministers did not approve spend under £40 million. In 2012 it became clear that the project could no longer be completed within the original time frame and in good order. To avoid wasting taxpayers’ money I decided that UK funding for the project should be cancelled. The completed park designs have been handed over to the Afghan authorities to enable them to pursue the project over a revised time frame. DFID’s work on Bost Airfield was completed in November 2013.
	DFID put a Memorandum of Understanding in place with AISA and the Helmand Provincial Government in April 2012, focusing solely on the development of the Bost Agri Business Park. AISA was not engaged on the Bost Airfield.

Afghanistan

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to the answer of 5 September 2013, Official Report, column 461W, on Afghanistan, what works at the Bost Agri Park and Bost Airfield were left by USAID upon her Department taking control of the project in 2009.

Justine Greening: The Bost industrial business park proposal was originally approved by officials in 2009 at a time when Ministers did not approve spend under £40 million. In 2012 it became clear that the project could no longer be completed within the original timeframe and in good order. To avoid wasting taxpayers’ money I decided that UK funding for the project should be cancelled. The completed park designs have been handed over to the Afghan authorities to enable them to pursue the project over a revised time frame. DFID's work on Bost Airfield was completed in November 2013.
	The information required to answer the hon. Member's question is not available in the form requested.

Abortion

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 7 May 2014, Official Report, column 230W, on abortion, whether his Department has formed a view as to when the Royal college of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians publication, The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion, should be updated in order to take into account new research; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: An updated guideline, “The Care of Women Requesting induced Abortion”, was published in 2011. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is maintaining a watching brief on the need to review recommendations in the light of new research evidence.

Cancer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure that there is no age discrimination in NHS treatment of breast, prostate and bowel cancer.

Jane Ellison: The national health service has a statutory duty to reduce health inequalities and improve the health of those with the poorest outcomes. The NHS constitution makes clear that a core duty of the NHS is to promote equality for all groups in society, including older people. A ban on age discrimination in NHS services was introduced in 2012, meaning that NHS services need to do everything they can to ensure that services do not unwittingly discriminate against older people.
	As well as the legal and moral imperative, improving the treatment and care of older people affected by cancer can also play a significant role in improving outcomes. Tackling health inequalities and promoting equality of outcome in England is essential to achieving cancer survival rates which match the best performing countries in the world. Furthermore, cancer treatment should always be based on what is right for each individual patient, whatever their age.
	In December last year, NHS England National Clinical Director for Cancer, Sean Duffy, launched a 'call for action' on the treatment for older people, a priority for NHS England and its partners. As part of this, NHS England is setting up an advisory group so it can identify where real improvements can be made in cancer services for older people. We are also supporting an initiative which will make sure that patients are better informed about the options available to them and they are fully involved in decisions about their treatment.

College of Emergency Medicine

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to meet the Chair of the College of Emergency Medicine.

Jane Ellison: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), is planning to meet with the Chair in the near future, to discuss the health system and emergency medicine. The Chair also met with my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Earl Howe) last week to discuss operational resilience plans for the remainder of this year.

Depressive Illnesses

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of trends in issuing of NHS prescriptions for (a) anti-depressants and (b) mindfulness-based interventions for the treatment of repeat episode depression since 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: Information on the use of mindfulness-based interventions is not collected centrally. However, the new Improving Access to Psychological Therapies(IAPT) data set, which is due to come on stream from July 2014, will allow recording of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy as an IAPT treatment. The following table provides information on the use of antidepressant medicines:
	
		
			 Number of prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community, in England, for medicines classified as anti-depressants in British National Formulary (BNF) section 4.3 Antidepressant drugs, for the calendar years 2008-131 
			  Prescription items (Thousand) 
			 2008 35,960.5 
			 2009 39,140.5 
			 2010 42,788.0 
			 2011 46,677.8 
			 2012 50,167.2 
			 2013 53,326.6 
			 1 Medicines may be used to treat conditions other than the therapeutic classifications defined in the BNF. Source: Prescription Cost Analysis system. The Health and Social Care Information Centre, Prescribing and Primary Care Services.

Eyesight: Health Services

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the costs of a patient who presents with eye conditions as a first point of call (a) a GP, (b) a hospital eye service, (c) an accident and emergency department and (d) a primary eye care acute referral scheme.

Daniel Poulter: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Estimated unit costs of a patient contact , 2012-13 
			 Type of patient contact Unit cost (£) 
			 General practitioner (GP) consultation1 37 
			 First consultant-led appointment in an ophthalmology out-patient clinic2 108 
			 Accident and emergency attendance3 130 
			 Primary eye care acute referral scheme 4— 
		
	
	
		
			 1 The Department does not collect information on the unit cost of a GP consultation. An estimate of £37 per patient contact lasting 11.7 minutes, including direct care staff costs and excluding qualification costs, is included in page 198 of Unit Costs of Health and Social Care 2013 at: www.pssru.ac.uk/project-pages/unit-costs/2013/ The data does not separately identify patients presenting with eye conditions or any other conditions. 2 The average unit cost of first, face-to-face, consultant-led contacts in ophthalmology, medical ophthalmology and paediatric ophthalmology, weighted for activity. The information is from reference costs, which are the unit costs to NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts of providing defined services in a given financial year to NHS patients, collected annually and published by the Department for 2012-13 at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-reference-costs-2012-to-2013 3The average unit of cost of accident and emergency attendances from 2012-13 reference costs. Includes attendances resulting in and not resulting in an admission. Excludes attendances submitted against Healthcare Resource Groups (HRGs) for Emergency Medicine, Dental Care (VB10Z) and Emergency Medicine, No Investigation with No Significant Treatment (VB11Z). The data does not separately identify patients presenting with eye conditions or any other conditions. 4 Not known. Sources: 2012/13 reference costs, Department of Health Unit Costs of Health and Social Care 2013, Personal Social Services Research Unit.

Heart Diseases

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the time taken to prescribe drugs for heart disease.

Jane Ellison: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has made no recent assessment of the time taken to prescribe drugs for heart disease. All drugs should be prescribed in accordance with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

Hospital Beds

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital beds per head of population there were in (a) Bury St Edmunds, (b) Suffolk and (c) England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: Information is not collected centrally on the catchment populations served by national health service hospital trusts in order to estimate beds per head of population at this level. Such information as is available is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Estimated hospital beds per 1,000 population1, England2 and Suffolk3, 2009-10 to 2013-14 
			  England Suffolk 
			  Beds in wards open overnight Beds in wards open day only Beds in wards open overnight Beds in wards open day only 
			 2009-10 3.04 0.21 1.80 0.19 
			 2010-114, 5 2.71 0.21 1.92 0.15 
			 2011-12 2.61 0.21 1.77 0.14 
			 2012-13 2.56 0.22 1.70 0.14 
			 2013-14 2.53 0.22 1.74 0.15 
			 1 The response uses Office for National Statistics (ONS) resident populations. However, patients may choose any hospital in England that offers NHS services for their first consultant-led out-patient appointment. Their subsequent in-patient treatment may then be in the same hospital. Locally, NHS hospital trusts will estimate the number of patients they expect to treat (the catchment population), but this information is not collected centrally. 2 Data have been provided for England only. Health is a devolved matter in Wales. 3 Data for Suffolk includes the number of beds in West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust and Ipswich Hospitals NHS Trust. Population data are for the former Suffolk Primary Care Trust for 2009 to 2012, and for the West Suffolk clinical commissioning group (CCG) and Ipswich and East Suffolk CCG. No suitable NHS geography exists for Bury St Edmunds. 4 Bed availability and occupancy data were collected annually before 2010-11. Data have been collected quarterly since 2010-11. Annual figures have been calculated, weighted for the number of days in each quarter. 5 The lower England figure for 2010-11 may reflect a change in the basis of the collection from annual to quarterly. The quarterly data are collected in the month following the end of the quarter, which is timelier and requires less estimation than the previous annual collection. Sources: 1. NHS England, bed availability and occupancy data, 2009-10 to 2013-14 2. ONS national and subnational population estimates, 2009 to 2012 2. ONS 2012-based national and subnational population projections, 2013

Prescribed Specialised Services Advisory Group

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how often the Prescribed Specialised Services Advisory Group meets per year; and if he will request that it will consider new specialised service applications for Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency at its next meeting;
	(2)  what steps NHS England takes to consider (a) all new specialised service applications and (b) new treatments for Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency; and whether such steps are subject to review by his Department.

Norman Lamb: The Prescribed Specialised Services Advisory Group (PSSAG) is a Department expert committee which was set up to provide regular advice to Ministers on which services are specialised and should be prescribed in regulations for national commissioning by the NHS Commissioning Board (NHS England). The Group met most recently in May 2014 and may meet up to four times a year.
	Evidence, supporting information and activity on those services currently prescribed in legislation for direct commissioning by NHS England and any new services identified as potentially specialised, are made available to PSSAG from a range of sources, which may include Clinical Reference Groups (CRGs), patient groups, clinicians, commissioners and members of the public. The proposals the group considers are in large part generated by NHS England through its CRGs. The PSSAG makes recommendations to Ministers who, before deciding whether to make regulations, consult with NHS England, as required by section 3B of the National Health Service Act 2006.
	NHS England advises that where it becomes the responsible commissioner for a service, it considers the funding priority of the service through its clinical priorities advisory group and manages a process for selecting providers. Any highly specialised services that become the commissioning responsibility of NHS England will be discussed at its Rare Disease Advisory Group.
	The commissioning of services for people with alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency is a matter for individual clinical commissioning groups. We understand the Alpha 1 Alliance is working with NHS England and the Specialised Respiratory Clinical Reference Group to develop a proposal on alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency for a future PSSAG meeting.

Community Rehabilitation Companies

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he obtained clearance from the European Commission for his Department to retain a golden share in each Community Rehabilitation Company.

Jeremy Wright: On 19 September last year the Government launched the competition to find the future owners of the community rehabilitation companies (CRCs) who will deliver rehabilitation services in England and Wales. The European Commission does not operate a process whereby member states are required to seek clearance in order to retain special shares in a company, and instead the onus is on individual states to ensure they are operating in accordance with the law. The Department is satisfied that it is in full compliance with European law on retaining a special share within each of the new CRCs. The Transforming Rehabilitation competition will continue through 2014 with contracts being awarded and mobilised by 2015.

Community Rehabilitation Companies

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  if he will place a limit on the number of the Community Rehabilitation Companies that a single external provider may control; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when he expects to transfer (a) the first and (b) the last Community Rehabilitation Company to an external provider.

Jeremy Wright: The Transforming Rehabilitation programme is opening up the market to a diverse range of new providers, so that we can harness the best that the private and voluntary sectors has to offer to reduce reoffending. In mid December 2013, the bidders who passed the first stage of the competition to bid for the rehabilitation contracts were announced. The list includes a mix of private and voluntary sector partnerships with more than 50 organisations represented. We expect to announce the winners of these contracts by the end of 2014 and are committed to the roll out of payment by results by 2015.
	The Government has been clear that we want to see a diverse market delivering probation services, rather than being dominated by just a few providers. We have set a market share restriction whereby bidders can win a maximum of 25% of market share based on the indicative contract values set out in the competition documentation. Bidders will be allowed to win multiple contracts up to the point at which their market share cap would be breached subject to meeting any other requirements set out by the authority.

Driving under Influence

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects to receive the Sentencing Council's review of sentencing guidelines for death by drink-driving; and what discussions he has had with that body on its progress on that programme of work.

Jeremy Wright: The Government announced on 12 May that it intends to carry out a review of the offences and penalties available for a range of driving offences, including causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs. Any changes to the law arising from this review will need to be considered by the independent Sentencing Council when setting new guidelines. For that reason the Sentencing Council has decided to suspend its consideration of driving offence guidelines until after the conclusion of the Government review.

Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what use his Department has made of the National Wellbeing Index introduced by the Office for National Statistics in formulating policy since the introduction of that Index in 2011; and what policies his Department has introduced to improve national wellbeing as defined in that Index since 2010.

Damian Green: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is measuring National Wellbeing, not as an index but through a framework of 41 indicators which capture social progress around important aspects of life for individuals, communities and the nation. The statistics are experimental and as such we should not expect to have examples of major policies that have been heavily influenced by the well-being data at this stage.
	Evidence provided to the Environmental Audit Committee for its Inquiry into Wellbeing can be found at:
	http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/environmental-audit-committee/inquiries/parliament-2010/well-being/
	Most of our policies are targeted at specific groups in society—users of the justice system—so national measures are not necessarily useful indicators. Nonetheless public interest is at the forefront of all our policy development, and therefore is often designed to improve aspects of well-being. For example, we have a major programme of reform that we are implementing to transform the way we rehabilitate offenders. These important reforms mean that we are turning around the lives of offenders, delivering value for the taxpayer while protecting victims and making our communities safer.
	We have also made reforms to the family justice system focusing primarily on promoting the well-being of children and supporting separating parents. Many of these reforms were enshrined in the Children and Families Act 2014.
	Finally, the Mental Capacity Act 2005, for which the Ministry of Justice has responsibility, feeds into the well-being recommendations relating to mental health, treating citizens with respect and enabling greater empowerment.

Prison Sentences: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many custodial sentences were handed down at (a) York Magistrates’' Court and (b) York Crown Court in each year since 2008.

Jeremy Wright: Sentencing is entirely a matter for the courts, taking account of all the circumstances of each case.
	Since 2010, crime has continued to fall and fewer individuals are entering the criminal justice system for the first time. Defendants are now more likely to be convicted for committing crime and sent to prison for longer than they were a decade ago. In addition, criminals convicted since 2010 are more likely to receive an immediate custodial sentence, both overall and for a first time offence.
	The number of offenders given a custodial sentence at (a) York magistrates court and (b) York Crown court each year from 2008 to 2013 can be viewed in the table.
	
		
			 The number of persons sentenced to custodial sentenced to a custodial sentence at York magistrates courts1 and York Crown court2 from 2008 to 20133, 4 
			  Magistrates courts Crown court 
			 2008 188 351 
			 2009 249 440 
			 2010 259 372 
			 2011 255 441 
			 2012 257 360 
			 2013 211 335 
			 1 Includes magistrates courts falling with the York and Selby Local Justice Area (LJA). As of 1 January 2012 Selby LJA and York LJA merged to into York and Selby LJA. 2 Figures specific to York Crown court. 3 The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 4 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice.

Prisoners: Romania

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many Romanian-born prisoners are being held in British prisons.

Jeremy Wright: On 31 March 2014 there were 588 prisoners in England and Wales who declared they were Romanian on reception to prison.
	All foreign national offenders sentenced to custody are referred to the Home Office for them to consider deportation at the earliest possible opportunity.
	Romania has implemented the EU Prisoner Transfer Arrangement and relevant cases have been referred to the Home Office to obtain deportation orders.
	The Prisoner Transfer process is just one mechanism for removing Foreign National Offenders. The number of FNOs deported under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS) has increased under this Government. In 2013, we removed nearly 2,000 FNOs under ERS and under the Tariff Expired Removal Scheme (TERS), which we introduced in May 2012, we have removed over 240 FNOs to date.
	Whereas this Government has begun to reduce the foreign national population in prison since 2010, between 1997 and 2010, the number of foreign nationals in our prisons more than doubled.

Probation

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what his policy is on the role of local authorities in the commissioning of probation services within their areas; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what his policy is on the role of police and crime commissioners in the commissioning of probation services within their force areas; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: The Offender Management Act 2007 places the responsibility for the provision of Probation Services on the Secretary of State for Justice. Under the Act, the Secretary of State may make contractual or other arrangements with any other person for the making of the probation provision. The process of commissioning probation services will be informed by engagement with co-commissioning partners including, Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and local authorities. Contracts will be responsive to changing demands and priorities at local and national levels.
	During the Transforming Rehabilitation programme, we have undertaken extensive engagement at a national and local level with PCCs and local authorities. As part of this process, we have established a national PCC Reference Group and a Local Authority Reference Group which have proved to be useful forums to engage with those PCCs and local authorities which are most interested in our reforms and enabled them to scrutinise the commissioning and delivery of the programme. PCCs and local authorities, together with other key local stakeholders have also been able to provide structured advice on what works locally via the creation of competition local advisory panels.
	No organisations are prohibited from bidding in the competition. However, to bid successfully to own and run Community Rehabilitation Companies, they will need to meet the criteria we set, which will include the ability to take on the necessary financial risk under our proposed payment by results mechanism.

Young Offenders

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many persistent young offenders were registered in (a) Bury St Edmunds, (b) Suffolk and (c) England and Wales in each of the last five years; and how many and what proportion of total offences were attributable to such offenders in that period.

Jeremy Wright: The prevention of reoffending by young people is a key priority for this Government. Overall crime and proven offending by young people is down, and fewer young people are entering the criminal justice system. But for those young people that are committing crimes it is right that the most serious or persistent are sentenced to custody, and those that commit violent offences face tough sentences.
	It is unacceptable however that nearly three-quarters of young offenders who leave custody go on to reoffend-this needs to change. That's why we are doubling the amount of education we give those in young offenders institutions and why we are reforming the youth estate with the introduction of secure colleges. These new establishments will tackle the root cause of offending by giving people the skills and self-discipline to gain employment and training upon release and turn their lives around. We announced on 8 June the name of the company selected to design and build the pathfinder.
	Table 1 shows the number of young offenders by their previous criminal history for young offenders cautioned or sentenced (a) by Suffolk police force area; and (b) across England and Wales. There is no national definition of a persistent offender, with Local Criminal Justice Boards setting criteria locally to identify persistent offenders based on their volume of crime and impact on their local community. The table therefore shows offenders with one or more previous cautions or sentencing occasions. The Police National Computer (PNC) does not break down information below police force area; it is not therefore possible to provide data specific only to Bury St Edmunds. Due to variations in local definitions of "persistent", it is not possible to determine the proportion of overall offences committed by "persistent" offenders in any of the geographical areas specified.
	These figures are based on counting the number of separate occasions on which offenders were cautioned or sentenced in each year and some offenders will therefore be represented several times in the figures. They are based only on those offences recorded on the PNC by an English or Welsh police force, including the British Transport police. The figures therefore exclude a range of low-level (non-recordable) summary offences committed by these offenders eg TV licence evasion and speeding as these are not recorded on the PNC. As with any large scale recording system the PNC is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of juvenile offenders cautioned or sentenced for recordable offences, by their previous criminal history, 2009-13 
			 Suffolk police force area 
			  2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 Number of previous convictions/cautions No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % 
			 0 999 45 503 37 512 42 417 43 307 39 
			 1-2 660 30 426 31 387 32 293 30 273 34 
			 3-6 363 16 296 22 226 18 185 19 148 19 
			 7-10 123 6 80 6 57 5 50 5 43 5 
			 11-14 44 2 32 2 25 2 16 2 8 1 
			 15+ 42 2 33 2 15 1 6 1 14 2 
			 Juvenile offenders 2,231 100 1,370 100 1,222 100 967 100 793 100 
		
	
	
		
			 England and Wales 
			  2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 Number of previous convictions/cautions No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % 
			 0 67,650 43 49,092 39 38,832 38 29,737 39 23,165 39 
			 1-2 49,079 31 39,071 31 31,497 31 23,226 30 18,139 30 
			 3-6 27,027 17 23,725 19 19,853 20 14,682 19 11,773 20 
			 7-10 8,264 5 7,380 6 6,206 6 4,758 6 3,702 6 
			 11-14 3,534 2 3,166 3 2,686 3 1,973 3 1,569 3 
			 15+ 2,551 2 2,465 2 2,348 2 1,784 2 1,341 2 
			 Juvenile offenders 158,105 100 124,899 100 101,422 100 76,160 100 59,689 100

Armed Conflict: Sexual Offences

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to ensure that the outcome of the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict reflects the wide range of people affected by such violence.

Mark Simmonds: The Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict will turn the political commitments made in the Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict into practical action and bring real change to those affected by this crime. We have consulted widely with experts, practitioners and international partners since the launch of the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative in 2012, including on the outcomes of the summit. Over 1,500 delegates will attend, including legal, military and judicial practitioners, representatives from multilateral organisations, and over 100 NGOs and grassroots organisations. The summit is an opportunity for governments from countries around the world to hear directly from those affected what action needs to be taken to effectively tackle this issue.

Balkans

Richard Harrington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to support people affected by recent flooding in the Balkans

David Lidington: I discussed the impact of the floods with Prime Minister Vucic of Serbia in Belgrade on 2 June and with Prime Minister Bevanda in Sarajevo on 3 June. During my visit to the region I also met the Serbian Red Cross and travelled to Maglaj in Bosnia-Herzegovina to meet the Mayor and representatives of World Vision.
	In Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), between 18 and 23 May a 33-person water rescue team from the British Fire Service was deployed to work alongside EUFOR Operation Althea and local rescue efforts. They rescued nearly 200 people, delivered large amounts of humanitarian aid, and helped restore power in villages north of Bijeljina.
	In Serbia, the UK provided 64 radios for the Serbian Ministry of the Interior, to assist with the co-ordination of their response teams; and donated £280,000 worth of heavy lift and transport vehicles to the Serbian Red Cross to aid their relief distribution effort.
	A team from the UK flew out to Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the week commencing 20 May to assess likely humanitarian and recovery needs. During my visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina I was able to announce that the UK had approved £250,000 to support a World Vision flood response project in the region focusing on sanitation and health and providing support for 140,000 people made homeless by the floods.
	In addition to this bilateral support, the UK provided support to BiH, Serbia and Croatia through the EU, UN and other international organisations. In BiH, EUFOR Operation Althea, to which the UK contributes troops in theatre and in reserve, assisted the BiH armed forces in their response to the flooding. The First Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, who provide part of EUFOR’s intermediate reserve, and are in BiH for a routine operational rehearsal, will assist the BiH armed forces in this regard.
	The UK has worked closely with the EU European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO), and offered advice and assistance during all phases of the flood response effort. ECHO have released €3.2 million in humanitarian aid to support the most vulnerable population in BiH and in Serbia (to which the UK will have contributed 15%).
	The Government will work closely with the UNDP, the EU and other international organisations to assess what further help might be given to help both Serbia and Bosnia Herzegovina recover from the impact of the floods.

Balkans

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aid the Government has provided for the relief of flooding and landslides in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia.

David Lidington: I discussed the impact of the floods with Prime Minister Vucic of Serbia in Belgrade on 2 June and with Prime Minister Bevanda in Sarajevo on 3 June. During my visit to the region I also met the Serbian Red Cross and travelled to Maglaj in Bosnia-Herzegovina to meet the Mayor and representatives of World Vision.
	In Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), between 18 and 23 May a 33 person water rescue team from the British Fire Service was deployed to work alongside EUFOR Operation Althea and local rescue efforts. They rescued nearly 200 people, delivered large amounts of humanitarian aid, and helped restore power in villages North of Bijeljina.
	In Serbia, the UK provided 64 radios for the Serbian Ministry of the Interior, to assist with the co-ordination of their response teams; and donated £280,000 worth of heavy lift and transport vehicles to the Serbian Red Cross to aid their relief distribution effort.
	A team from the UK flew out to Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the week commencing 20 May to assess likely humanitarian and recovery needs. During my visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina I was able to announce that the UK had approved £250,000 to support a World Vision flood response project in the region focussing on sanitation and health and providing support for 140,000 people made homeless by the floods.
	In addition to this bilateral support, the UK provided support to BiH, Serbia and Croatia through the EU, UN and other international organisations. In BiH, EUFOR Operation Althea, to which the UK contributes troops in-theatre and in reserve, assisted the BiH armed forces in their response to the flooding. The First Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, who provide part of EUFOR's intermediate reserve, and are in BiH for a routine operational rehearsal, will assist the BiH armed forces in this regard.
	The UK has worked closely with the EU European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO), and offered advice and assistance during all phases of the flood response effort. ECHO have released €3.2 million in humanitarian aid to support the most vulnerable population in BiH and in Serbia (to which the UK will have contributed 15%).
	The Government will work closely with the UNDP, the EU and other international organisations to assess what further help might be given to help both Serbia and Bosnia Herzegovina recover from the impact of the floods.

Horn of Africa

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the efficacy of EUCAP Nestor in tackling insecurity in the Horn of Africa.

Hugh Robertson: EUCAP Nestor can play an important role in building stability in Somalia and the region but further work needs to be done to enhance delivery and realise its potential.
	The UK has focused on addressing issues to ensure that Nestor increases operations inside Somalia, and delivers against measurable and meaningful objectives.
	These measures should increase the prospects of Nestor performing more effectively in the future. Good progress has been made in recent months towards establishing a presence in Somalia, which will increase the efficacy of the mission by providing a base for capacity building activities and by enhancing access to local actors. Nestor now has an office in Hargeisa (Somaliland), and also operates in Bosaso on the northern coast of Somalia. We will continue to track progress closely.

India

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  if he will make representations to the new Indian Government to reopen investigations on the events in 1984 at the Golden Temple in Amritsar; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will support an international enquiry into the events at the Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1984.

Hugo Swire: This is a matter between the Sikh community and Government of India. The purpose of the Cabinet Secretary's recent investigation and report on the Indian operation at Sri Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar in 1984, was to establish the extent of UK Government involvement in the Indian Government's plans for military operations, not the operation itself, or the actions of the Indian Government.

Libya

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much (a) military and (b) humanitarian aid the UK provided to the Libyan Government in (A) 2011, (B) 2012 and (C) 2013.

Hugh Robertson: Due to our accounting structures we are only able to provide exact spending figures for financial years rather than calendar years. In this time, the UK has provided military aid to Libya in the form of the defence portion of the tri-departmental (MOD, FCO, DFID) Conflict Pool, and core defence funding for Defence Engagement activity. This has been:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2010-11 3,000 
			 2011-12 200,000 
			 2012-13 2,173,000 
			 2013-14 3,521,000 
		
	
	This has formed part of a total of over £25 million stabilisation assistance to the LIBYAN government through the Arab Partnership and Conflict Pool programme during the period 2011-13.
	During the period 2011-13 the UK provided humanitarian aid to Libya for protection of civilians, assistance for survival and effective international humanitarian co-ordination, especially through the UN, broken down as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2011-12 7,843,227.40 
			 2012-13 304,100.37 
			 2013-14 0 
		
	
	The UK no longer provides this type of humanitarian aid to Libya but instead is providing technical support for security, justice and rule of law capacity building, through the Arab partnership and Conflict Pool.

North Korea

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to promote human rights in North Korea.

Hugo Swire: The UK is deeply concerned by reports of widespread and systematic state sanctioned human rights violations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), as I made clear in my written ministerial statement following the publication of the UN Commission of Inquiry report into these violations. I have called publicly on the DPRK to take immediate steps to close political prison camps, to act on the Commission’s recommendations and to give full and unimpeded access to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and other relevant parts of the UN. I also made clear the UK’s commitment to ensuring the Commission’s findings were a beginning and not an end.
	Reflecting this commitment, the UK played an active role in ensuring a strong DPRK resolution at the March UN Human Rights Council. I lobbied personally on this issue during my visit to Geneva at the beginning of the Council. Since the resolution was passed we have continued to engage, supporting an informal briefing of the UN Security Council and pressing the DPRK during its recent Universal Periodic Review to respond to the Commission of Inquiry’s findings. In May, I met US Special Envoy on DPRK Human Rights, Robert King, to discuss next steps, and during a visit to Geneva next week I will have further discussions with Ambassador King and others.

Property: Ownership

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to European governments to secure as quickly as possible restitution for British citizens who had assets seized by the Nazis.

David Lidington: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 30 January 2014, Official Report, column 689W. Since January, the British Government has engaged at ministerial or official level with the Germans, Poles and Russians on restitution and looted art.

Raoul Wallenberg

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how he plans to mark the 70th anniversary of Raoul Wallenberg's arrival in Hungary; what recent discussions he has had with the government of (a) Sweden and (b) Hungary on this anniversary; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The Government is committed to ensuring that the UK continues to play a leading international role in Holocaust education, remembrance and research. This includes recalling and paying tribute to the bravery, and often sacrifices, of individuals such as Raoul Wallenberg—which includes a monument of him outside our embassy in Budapest. There are no current plans to mark the anniversary of his arrival in Budapest, nor have there been specific discussions with the Swedish or Hungarian Governments on the anniversary. However, we remain committed including in our role as current chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, to working with the Hungarian Government to help them strengthen international co-operation to ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust are never forgotten. Hungary is currently observing a Holocaust Memorial Year, concluding a programme of remembrance which began in 2012 with a commemoration of Raoul Wallenberg

Sudan

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to raise the plight of persecuted Christians abroad; and what steps he is taking to raise the case of Meriam Ibrahim with his Sudanese counterpart.

Mark Simmonds: I am appalled at the death sentence given to Meriam Ibrahim, and her continued imprisonment. Immediately following her trial, I issued a statement describing her conviction as barbaric and calling upon the Government of Sudan to respect the right to freedom of religion or belief and international human rights laws as enshrined in its own constitution. The chargé d’affaires of the Sudanese embassy in London was summoned to the Foreign Office on 19 May at the request of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague). The Under-Secretary of State for International Development, my hon. Friend the Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone), reiterated our demand with the Sudanese Foreign Minister when she met him on 20 May. Our embassy in Khartoum, that attended her trial, continues to press the Sudanese authorities for Meriam Ibrahim's release, and is in close contact with the defence team.
	This is a priority human rights area for us. We speak out regularly against violence perpetrated against Christians. The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government and Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi), gave a speech in Washington in November last year on the need for unity in confronting the intolerance and sectarianism that leads to minority communities being persecuted. We also lobby for changes in discriminatory laws and practices that affect religious minorities, including Christians, and support UN resolutions on the elimination of discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief.

Syria

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the UK has taken to support UN Security Council Resolution 2139 regarding humanitarian access in Syria.

Hugh Robertson: The UK played a leading role in ensuring the unanimous adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2139 on 22 February. Since then, we have regularly echoed the UN Security Council's demand that all parties to the conflict, in particular the Syrian authorities, implement fully the requirements of UNSCR 2139. We welcome the National Coalition's commitment to implementing UNSCR 2139 and have encouraged those with influence on the parties to urge them to implement the demands of the resolution. The UK is working closely with P5 colleagues and others in New York on a draft resolution in response to the UN Secretary-General's call for the UNSC to act decisively to address the worsening humanitarian situation.

Transcaucasus

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in the South Caucasus.

David Lidington: The South Caucasus region, while currently relatively stable, is home to three unresolved conflicts and continued internal and external political tensions. As a result, the risk of renewed instability remains real.
	In Georgia, the UK supports the work of the EU Monitoring Mission; it continues to play a valuable role in helping to reduce tensions along the boundary lines of the breakaway territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. However, we remain concerned about “borderisation” along the administrative boundary lines of the breakaway regions which only serves to exacerbate tensions in the area. The recent change of power in Abkhazia is concerning, but we are relieved that events have unfolded peacefully. We hope the acting de facto authorities respect the rights of all people in Abkhazia, in particular ethnic Georgians living in the Gali region.
	The UK is also concerned by ongoing ceasefire breaches between forces along both the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Armenia-Azerbaijan borders. It is disappointing that as we pass the twentieth anniversary of the 1994 ceasefire agreement between the conflicting parties, a sustainable, agreed settlement is still not within reach. The UK supports the work of the OSCE Minsk Group’s Co-Chairs in their attempts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict and introduce confidence building measures which will help de-escalate tensions.
	The UK remains committed to conflict resolution work in the South Caucasus. This financial year, the Conflict Pool has allocated £3 million to projects in the South Caucasus that will build capacity of local communities to prevent and resolve conflicts.

Uganda

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress he has made in working with the Commonwealth Secretary-General to review LGBT rights in Uganda.

Hugo Swire: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), wrote to the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth on 1 March to ask him to work with us to review the worrying trend on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights in the Commonwealth. We welcomed the Commonwealth Secretary-General’s statement to the High Level Segment of the Human Rights Council on 6 March reiterating the Commonwealth’s commitment to equality and respect for the protection and promotion of rights without discrimination on any grounds. While we support the work of the Secretariat in strengthening the capacity of national human rights institutions to engage their respective Governments on sensitive areas such as LGBT rights, we continue to encourage the Commonwealth to do more to address LGBT rights across the Commonwealth, and in particular Uganda.

USA

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  with reference to the advice provided by Jemima Stratford QC to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Drones, if he will agree a new Memorandum of Understanding or other bilateral agreement with the US on data transfer and use; [R]
	(2)  with reference to the advice provided by Jemima Stratford QC to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Drones, if his Department will take steps to prevent any unlawful practice by GCHQ; [R]
	(3)  whether his Department has made an assessment of the advice of Jemima Stratford QC to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Drones; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: The UK intelligence agencies work in accordance with UK law, as described by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), in his statement to the House on 10 June 2013, Official Report, column 31. In addition, section 6 of the recently published annual report for 2013 by the Interception of Communications Commissioner, Sir Anthony May, addresses the legal basis for intelligence sharing between the UK and its partners.
	The UK Intelligence Agencies adhere to the law at all times. We have one of the world's strongest legal and regulatory frameworks governing the use of secret intelligence. All of GCHQ's activities are legal, necessary and proportionate. GCHQ does not disclose or share information other than is appropriate under the Intelligence Services Act 1994 and Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

West Africa

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the outbreak of the ebola virus in Western Africa.

Mark Simmonds: We continue to monitor the Ebola outbreak in West Africa closely. As of 6 June there had been over 220 confirmed cases in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
	International health agencies are providing support to affected countries. There is no specific vaccine or anti-viral drug available, so the priority is to contain the outbreak by limiting human to human transmission by early identification and care for those affected.
	We are keeping our Travel Advice for British nationals under regular review and in line with WHO guidance. There have been no reports of British citizens being infected and there have been no known imported cases of Ebola in the UK to date.

Apprentices

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeship starts relate to (a) existing employees of the organisation concerned and (b) new employees in the 2012-13 academic year.

Matthew Hancock: Information collected centrally through the individualised learner record does not identify whether an individual who started an apprenticeship in the 2012/13 academic year was an existing employee or a new employee.

Bankruptcy

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many bankruptcies were registered in (a) York, (b) Yorkshire and (c) England in each year since 2005.

Jennifer Willott: Figures for the number of bankruptcy orders in York, Yorkshire and Humber, and England in each year since 2005 can be found in the following table. Bankruptcy applies to individuals only; regional breakdowns for the number of company insolvencies are not currently available.
	The Insolvency Service compiles its regional bankruptcy order statistics on a calendar year basis, therefore financial year totals are not available. Figures for 2013 will be available on the Insolvency Service website from 10 July 2014, alongside figures for other individual insolvency procedures (individual voluntary arrangements, and debt relief orders).
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of bankruptcy orders in each region of England, 2005-121 
			 Number 
			  York Yorkshire and Humber England 
			 2005 134 4,272 43,103 
			 2006 214 5,812 57,576 
			 2007 185 5,957 59,245 
			 2008 198 6,660 62,001 
			 2009 236 7,231 68,498 
			 2010 170 5,929 53,064 
			 2011 130 4,317 38,341 
			 2012 84 3,295 29,393 
			 1 Where individual has provided postcode. 
		
	
	It should be noted that these figures do not account for any changes in the base population over time. Using the rate of bankruptcies per 10,000 adults allows for a like-for-like comparison across years.
	Headline figures for insolvencies in England and Wales can be found in the quarterly ‘Insolvency Statistics’ release, a National Statistics publication. Figures for January to March 2014 were published on 29 April 2014, and can be found here:
	Annual numbers and rates of bankruptcies by region for 2000-12 are available in the ‘Individual Insolvencies by Region’ publication, which can be found at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/insolvency-statistics-individual-insolvencies-by-region

Construction: China

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what benefits he expects to accrue to the UK economy from the agreement signed in China on 26 May 2014 between the Building Research Establishment and the Shenzhen Municipal Government to set up a training and research and development centre on sustainable building construction in China.

Michael Fallon: On 26 May 2014, the Building Research Establishment {BRE) signed an agreement with the Shenzhen Municipal Government to set up a training and R&D centre in China's fastest growing city.
	The centre in Shenzhen will deliver training on a national scale to other cities and promote its services including certifying buildings to green construction standards.
	BRE aims to certify over 1,000 buildings across China to its standards which will generate £10 million income and could create up to £200 million of work for UK supply chain companies.

Exports: Licensing

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many standard individual export licences were finalised in 2013; and what proportion of those licences were finalised within (a) 20 and (b) 60 working days.

Michael Fallon: 13,578 Standard Individual Export Licences (SIELs) were granted in 2013 and 148 applications for SIELs were refused. 77.8% of these licences were finalised in 20 working days and 97.8% were finalised in 60 working days.

Exports: Yorkshire and the Humber

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in Yorkshire and the Humber were exporting to (a) the EU and (b) all countries in each year since 2008.

Michael Fallon: The number of businesses in Yorkshire and the Humber exporting goods to the EU and all countries in each year since 2008 is given in the following table. The data is sourced from HMRC's Regional Trade Statistics database and covers trade in goods only. A count of services exporters by region is not available.
	
		
			 Number of businesses in Yorkshire and the Humber exporting goods to 
			  2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 EU 1,731 1,664 1,698 1,733 1,743 1,683 
			 Non-EU 5,288 5,052 4,940 4,942 4,941 4,924 
			 Total 5,597 5,345 5,251 5,267 5,257 5,211 
			 Note: The counts for exporters dealing with the EU and counts for exporters dealing with the non-EU do not sum to the total exporter counts. Exporters that are active in both EU and non-EU markets are counted once only in the total exporter counts. The counts for exporters dealing with the EU do not include exporters where the value of their intra-EU trade is below the Intrastat Exemption Threshold. Source: HMRC Regional Trade Statistics

Foreign Investment in UK: Yorkshire and the Humber

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much foreign investment in Yorkshire and the Humber there has been in each year since 2008; and what estimate he has made of the number of (a) new and (b) safeguarded jobs generated by such investments.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment reports that in 2008/09, 1,869 new jobs were created in Yorkshire and Humberside as a result of foreign investment and 4,719 jobs were safeguarded, in 2009/10, 2,016 new jobs were created and 3,895 were safeguarded. In 2010/11, 868 jobs were created and a total of 670 jobs safeguarded. In 2011/12, 1,362 new jobs were created and 2,338 jobs safeguarded.
	Finally, in 2012/13, the last published figures show that 1,288 new jobs were created in Yorkshire and Humber and total of 6,618 jobs were safeguarded, a total of 7,906 jobs.

Higher Education

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many undergraduate students were resident in (a) Bury St Edmunds, (b) Suffolk and (c) England and Wales in each of the last five years.

David Willetts: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on students at UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The number of undergraduate enrolments to UK HEIs, for students domiciled in Bury St Edmunds parliamentary constituency, Suffolk local authority and England and Wales prior to their course, has been provided in the following table.
	Information for the 2013/14 academic year will become available from HESA in January 2015.
	
		
			 Undergraduate enrolments domiciled in Bury St Edmunds parliamentary constituency1, Suffolk local authority and England and Wales, prior to their course—UK Higher Education Institutions2 Academic years 2008/09 to 2012/13 
			  2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 
			 Bury St Edmunds parliamentary constituency 2,890 3,045 3,125 3,210 2,860 
			 Suffolk local authority 17,020 17,885 17,645 17,975 16,340 
			 England and Wales 1,463,160 1,501,560 1,490,205 1,501,070 1,379,775 
			 1 Parliamentary constituency is derived from the student's postcode. Data for 2010/11 onwards is based on the revised boundaries since the 2010 general election. 2 Includes students attending Open University. Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded to the nearest five, so components may not sum to totals. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record

Higher Education: Disability

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding is currently allocated to higher education institutes to assist them in fulfilling their responsibilities to disabled students under the Equality Act 2010.

David Willetts: In the academic year 2013/14 £15 million was allocated to higher education institutions through the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) grant, to help them recruit and support disabled students. This figure was an increase of £2 million on the previous year and has been maintained by HEFCE for 2014/15. This is in addition to the direct support provided to disabled students through the disabled students’ allowances (DSA). In England, £125.1 million was spent on providing DSA in 2011/12.

Higher Education: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much capital funding the Government allocated to (a) York College, (b) Askham Bryan College, (c) the University of York and (d) York St John University in each year since 1995-96.

David Willetts: The capital funding allocated by this Department and its predecessor Departments to York College, the University of York and the University of York St John in each year between 1992 and 2000 is not readily available. However, the capital allocations for each of the institutions named since 2000/01 is in the following table.
	
		
			 Capital allocations for each of the institutions named since 2000/01 
			  Askham Bryan College HEFCE Funding Askham Bryan College Skills Funding Agency Funding1 University of York HEFCE Funding York College HEFCE Funding York College Skills Funding Agency Funding1 York St John University HEFCE Funding 
			 2000/01 15,229 0 — 38,266 0 — 
			 2001/02 7,900 0 3,530,750 10,910 0 — 
			 2002/03 17,300 148,900 3,778,951 42,090 0 1,853,705 
			 2003/04 19,196 293,975 9,960,671 47,314 0 480,369 
			 2004/05 6,456 0 9,598,750 15,927 0 1,695,801 
			 2005/06 84,075 0 8,901,524 103,283 21,159,347 95,667 
			 2006/07 67,799 4,150,000 3,257,349 75,029 0 900,000 
			 2007/08 67,798 0 16,182,678 75,030 0 939,152 
			 2008/09 89,715 0 13,211,996 77,650 0 1,308,627 
			 2009/10 114,961 0 26,823,315 113,645 0 1,251,150 
			 2010/11 65,205 284,389 1,746,914 73,524 128,950 939,136 
			 2011/12 17,599 100,000 3,879,252 20,617 100,000 169,911 
			 2012/13 19,358 3,110,000 3,242,950 22,678 0 91,117 
			 2013/14 10,712 500,000 2,469,586 13,148 2,091,000 232,966 
			 2014/152 38,705 0 2,165,461 47,510 0 280,291 
			  642,008 8,587,264 108,750,147 776,621 23,479,297 10,237,892 
			 1 The table includes information on all mainstream FE Capital grants approved since April 2001 to date; LSC approvals (i.e. Building Colleges for the Future projects only and excludes Disability Discrimination Act grant/fee support/other pro-rata or formula based grants approved under the LSC between April 01 to March 10). It also includes all capital approvals given under the SFA. 2 These figures are not final.

Higher Education: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many UK-domiciled (a) undergraduate and (b) postgraduate students enrolled at the (i) University of York and (ii) University of York St John in each year since 2009-10.

David Willetts: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on student enrolments at UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
	The number of UK domiciled undergraduate and postgraduate enrolments at University of York and York St John University in the academic years 2009/10 to 2012/13 has been provided in the following table.
	Information on the number of enrolments at UK HEIs for the academic year 2013/14 will become available from HESA in January 2015.
	
		
			 UK domiciled1 enrolments2 by level and institution of study academic years 2009/10 to 2012/13 
			 Institution Level of study 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 
			 University of York Postgraduate 2,405 2,610 2,680 2,135 
			  Undergraduate 9,645 10,190 10,475 10,395 
			  Total 12,050 12,800 13,155 12,525 
			 York St John University Postgraduate 815 780 735 715 
			  Undergraduate 4,835 4,855 4,920 4,960 
			  Total 5,650 5,640 5,660 5,680 
			 1 Domicile refers to a students’ home or permanent address prior to starting their course 2 Enrolments refers to students in all years of study. Note: This information can also be found on the HESA website at the following link: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/free-statistics Source: HESA Student Record

Higher Education: Zoos

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what support the Government is providing for community projects being conducted by UK zoos in collaboration with universities.

David Willetts: Government funding to universities supports a range of collaborative activity. Information on specific work with zoos on community projects is not collected centrally.

Higher Education: Zoos

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that the forthcoming single pot funding and new round of European Regional Development Funding encourages economic development potential through science discovery collaborations planned between research-intensive universities and zoos.

Michael Fallon: The Local Growth Fund will be awarded to Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) on a competitive basis, on the strength of the Strategic Economic Plans they submitted to Government at the end of March. It is for LEPs and other local partners to put forward the proposals that, based on their local knowledge, they consider will have the greatest impact on economic growth. Discussions between Government and LEPs are continuing, with the aim of announcing Growth Deals in the summer.
	For the 2014-2020 EU funding period the Government has asked Local Enterprise Partnerships to work with local partners to determine the investment priorities in their areas. Support to strengthen research, technological development and innovation will be a key objective for the European Regional Development Fund. The next stage is for local partners to work together to help develop a pipeline of projects that will meet the local investment priorities. BIS will advise the national stakeholder group which oversees the European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund on whether these investments are meeting local, national and EU innovation objectives.

Holiday Leave

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 6 May 2014, Official Report, column 87W, on holiday leave, what assessment his Department has made of the conclusions of the Citizen's Advice Bureau's Report entitled Give us a Break on the lack of awareness and denial of paid holiday entitlement to UK workers.

Jennifer Willott: The Citizen's Advice Bureau's Report, Give us a Break, was a formal submission to the Ministerial Review of Workplace Rights, Compliance and Enforcement and therefore this Department assessed the report along with other submissions to the review. The written ministerial statement following the review was laid in Parliament on 10 July 2012. We continually review a broad range of evidence. As outlined in reply of 6 May 2014, Official Report, column 87W, the right to paid annual leave is an important right, and we would urge workers who feel they are not receiving it to contact the Pay and Work Rights Helpline (0800 917 2368) or ACAS
	www.acas.org.uk
	for free and confidential advice.

Local Enterprise Partnerships: Yorkshire and the Humber

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in Yorkshire and the Humber received how much funding from Local Enterprise Partnerships in each year since 2010-11.

Michael Fallon: The Regional Growth Fund has supported eight Local Enterprise Partnership-led (LEP) programmes in Yorkshire and Humber, four each in Rounds 3 and 5, with allocations totalling £95 million. So far £23.8 million has been paid to small and medium-sized enterprises which has achieved 987 jobs and £66.9 million in private sector leverage.
	The Yorkshire and Humber LEPs have also received a total of £72.9 million from the Growing Places Fund to support infrastructure projects resulting in the creation of jobs, housing, commercial floorspace and businesses. Thus far, the LEPs have allocated this to 34 projects which will lead to the creation of 25,500 jobs, 4,900 housing units, 1.5 million sqm commercial floorspace, and 320 businesses.

Manufacturing Industries: Electronic Equipment

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to increase the manufacture of electronic components in the UK.

Michael Fallon: The Government recognises that electronic components and systems are key enabling technologies which underpin many key industrial sectors both in the UK and worldwide. In line with the Industrial Strategy, the Government is working with the industry-led Electronics Systems Community (ESCO) Council to support its aims of achieving sustainable growth within the sector. This Council is co-chaired by myself and Warren East, formerly chief executive of ARM, and is made up of senior business leaders from within the electronics systems sector.
	The ESCO Council is working within the UK electronics community, with Government, with academia and is building close ties with leadership groups from other industries in taking forward the industry's blueprint for transforming the electronic systems sector in the UK. The Council's aims and priorities are set out in the 'Electronic Systems: Challenges and Opportunities' report, which the industry published in summer 2013. The ESCO Council has set itself the goals for 2020 of increasing employment in the electronics systems sector from 850,000 to 1,000,000, and the contribution that electronics makes to the economy from around £80 billion to £120 billion per year.

National Apprenticeship Service

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 24 March 2014, Official Report, column 140W, on the national apprenticeship service, how many times the search function 'find an apprenticeship provider' on the national apprenticeship website has been used.

Matthew Hancock: There were 89,370 recorded visits to the Find an Apprenticeship Training Organisation1 web page between April 2013 and May 2014. This counts the number of visits to the page not the number of individuals who visit.
	Please note that the figure provided is used to indicate the use of a specific web page and is not a recognised measure of interest in apprenticeships.
	1 http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/employers/find-an-apprenticeship-training-organisation.aspx

Overseas Trade: Western Sahara

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will instruct UK Trade and Investment to issue a statement cautioning UK businesses against trade and investment in Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara.

Michael Fallon: We do not advise against trading with or investing in Western Sahara. Companies seeking UK Trade & Investment's advice on business prospects in Western Sahara will be made aware of the travel advice, information on Overseas Business Risk, and other market conditions.

Regional Growth Fund: Yorkshire and the Humber

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in Yorkshire and the Humber received how much funding from the Regional Growth Fund in each year since 2011-12.

Michael Fallon: We do not hold the data in the format requested. The Regional Growth Fund is supporting 51 projects and programmes in Yorkshire and Humber across five funding Rounds. Below is a breakdown of the allocated funding from 2011-2017 by Round:
	
		
			 Round Projects Programmes Allocated funding (£ million) 
			 1 6 0 47.3 
			 2 15 2 78.5 
			 3 8 4 92.8 
			 4 8 4 41.5 
			 5 3 1 15 
		
	
	The 11 regional programmes are providing support to small and medium-size businesses in the area. Support from RGF is expected to leverage £1.7 billion of private investment.

Temporary Employment

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to improve job security for people employed indefinitely on temporary or fixed-term contracts.

Jennifer Willott: The Government is committed to achieving a labour market that is both fair and flexible, which gives employers the confidence to create jobs, and individuals the choice to find work that suits them and their circumstances.
	Temporary, agency and fixed term contracts are an important, but relatively small part of our labour market, as they give companies flexibility in how staff are hired and workers flexibility in how they work. In February to April 2014 there were 1.673 million temporary employees—6.5% of all employees. Of these, ONS estimate that 35.9% were working temporarily because they could not find a permanent job—down from 39.7% a year ago.
	Under this Government employment growth continues to be exceptionally strong, with levels up by 345,000 in the past quarter, and 780,000 in the past year—a record, Overall, in the 12 months to April 2014:
	Employment increased by 780,000.
	The number of employees working full-time increased by 441,000 and the number of people working part time increased by 17,000.
	The amount of people in self-employment rose by 337,000
	The amount of temporary employees was 1.67 million in the three months to April 2014, up 79,000 on the same period last year. The amount of employees working temporary jobs because they could not find permanent jobs fell by 33,000 over the past year.

Vocational Training

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will provide a breakdown of the Employer Ownership Pilot funding for the unified communications sector.

Matthew Hancock: Funding has been awarded to one project focusing on the unified communications sector. A project led by Freedom Communications was awarded funding of £786,503 over four years. This project seeks to address a skills need within the Unified Communications Technology (UCT) sector—a business enabling technology that benefits the economy through improved productivity. Freedom Communications (a UCT employer) has developed the project to address skills gaps through the creation of a UCT Higher Apprentice programme to develop a skilled workforce, delivering end to end skills by working with schools, delivering pre employability qualifications to enhance the skills of the future workforce.